Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Sun Myung Moon, Unification Church, Lawrence Ray, Sexual Abuse, NXIVM, Transcendental Meditation, Beatles
Mother Jones: EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Love Child Rev. Sun Myung Moon Desperately Tried to Hide
NY Post: Neighbors saw 'half-dressed' woman landscaping at accused sex cult leader's home
CultNEWS101: Shincheonji Church of Jesus (collection)
"The number of coronavirus cases in South Korea rose to 46 on Wednesday, after 15 new cases were reported, including a cluster seen in a church in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Of the new cases, 13 were in Daegu and the neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, said the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and eleven were believed to be linked to a single patient, a 61-year-old woman.
Ten of them attend the same church as the woman, who was the 31st case, the KCDC said.
The 61-year-old woman had first developed a fever on February 10 but reportedly refused to be tested for the coronavirus on the grounds that she had not recently travelled abroad.
She was not put into quarantine until a week later and was confirmed as South Korea's 31st case on [February 18, 2020].
The woman and the 10 others attend the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has issued a notice to followers across the country to stop gathering and attend prayer sessions online."
"South Korea confirmed five more worshippers of an evangelical church had tested positive for the new coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the number of infections from the Daegu church cluster to 15 as the country's total number of cases rose to 51.
The 15 patients include a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed as the country's 31st case on Tuesday and 14 others who came in close contact with her at the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a controversial religious movement known for its aggressive evangelical methods. Another person she later met in hospital also tested positive."" ... Pastor Shin Hyun-uk, an anti-cult campaigner, noted that religious events at the Daegu branch of Shincheonji were usually well attended, with at least 8,000 followers attending weekend prayer sessions."The place is so crowded and church-goers squeeze into halls," he said.It boasts more than 200,000 followers across the country. Members attend traditional churches to convert new followers. Consequently, many entrances of churches in South Korea have stickers stating that Shincheonji members are not allowed inside."The church is shrouded in secrets and many followers conceal the fact, even from their own family members, that they go to the controversial church. In light of this fact, many people who might have come in contact with the 31st patient at the church would hesitate to come forward," the pastor said.The 31st patient and a few others who have been found since Sunday had neither travelled abroad nor been in contact with other confirmed patients, sparking concerns of human-to-human transmission in South Korea."We keep the possibility open that the virus has passed through the quarantine nets to start community transmissions," said Noh Hong-in, a senior government official in charge of fighting the virus."The woman attended four prayer sessions at the church in Daegu City, 300km southeast of Seoul.
Mother Jones: EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Love Child Rev. Sun Myung Moon Desperately Tried to Hide
How the family values crusader made the publisher of the Washington Times raise his secret son."
"When the Washington Times threw its 20th anniversary gala in 2002, conservative luminaries lined up to pay tribute, including Ronald Reagan, who addressed the packed ballroom via video. Afterward, the paper's enigmatic founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, took the podium. "Even before the term 'family value' became a popular phrase, every day of the week the Times was publishing articles highlighting the breakdown in values and what must be done to return to a good, moral society," he said, through a translator. "Today, family values have become an essential piece of the social fabric in America, even becoming part of the political landscape. We can be proud of the Washington Times' contribution that promoted and elevated family values to an essential part of society in America and the world!"
Moon, the founder of the South Korea-based Unification Church, which had hundreds of thousands of adherents at its peak, claimed to be on a divine mission to salvage humanity by rebuilding the traditional family. Before his death last year at age 92, the self-proclaimed messiah—who was known for marrying off his followers in mass weddings—presided over a multibillion-dollar business empire. And he plowed huge sums of money into politics, launching a vast network of media outlets and front groups that promoted conservative family values and left a lasting mark on the modern-day GOP.
Sam Park with his mother, Annie Choi, and a portrait of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, whom he would later learn was his father. Courtesy of Samuel Park
But this family values crusader harbored a secret. While he was promoting marriage as the solution to society's woes and inveighing against "free sex," his personal life was full of philandering—including at least one adulterous relationship that produced a son. To hide the boy's identify from his followers, Moon instructed his right-hand man, who was also the founding president and publisher of the Washington Times, to raise the child. Moon's illegitimate son, Sam Park, who is now 47 years old and lives in Arizona, also helped guard his father's secret, by staying silent. Until now.
Park, who has shaggy salt-and-pepper hair and a mellow demeanor, resides in Phoenix with his 77-year-old mother, Annie Choi. Their story, which I touched on in a recent article about the unraveling of Moon's empire in The New Republic, casts a spotlight on the hidden history of Moon's church, a strange but influential institution that has maintained close ties to the Republican Party since the Reagan era.
Choi says the initiation rites for early female disciples involved having sex with Moon three times. She also alleges that Moon kept a stable of a half-dozen concubines, known as the Six Marys.
Choi joined Moon's church along with her mother and sister in the early 1950s. At the time, the family lived in the southern Korean city of Pusan. Moon had fled there after escaping a communist labor camp in North Korea, where he was imprisoned, reportedly on bigamy charges. Initially, he had only a few dozen followers, who met in a two-room house on the outskirts of town and were expected to sacrifice everything for the church. For young female members, this included their virginity. Choi says the initiation rites for early female disciples involved having sex with Moon three times. She also alleges that Moon kept a stable of a half-dozen concubines, known as the Six Marys, and inducted her into the group when she was 17. Sometimes, she adds, he would assemble them all in a circle and take turns mounting them. Choi's account is consistent with those of other early followers, who claim that Moon's church began as an erotic cult, with Moon "purifying" female followers through sexual rites. (One former acolyte published a book on the topic in Japan.)"
" ... Neighbors of the Piscataway home where Ray lived with a pal and at least two young women say the constant construction and saucily dressed workforce raised red flags.
"One girl used to work outside half-dressed," said a neighbor, who would only identify himself as Mike, noting that the woman wore "short shorts hiked up and a half shirt" and was seen "gardening" and "grading soil" several times a week.
"They would tear it up, fix it, then tear it up again," Mike said of the yard. "Lots of people complained to the town about it. None of the neighbors know what the hell they're doing."
And the weird work wasn't limited to daylight hours, according to neighbor Quinn Bolivar, who said he suspected something shady was happening.
"They're out working in the yard to 3, 4 o'clock in the morning," he said, adding that "They've plowed" the yard "and redone it like 12 times."
"The projects they do around the house are very odd," he said."
New Book: "Master, would you brand me? It would be an honor.
" ... Memoir of a 12-year-NXIVM-member-turned-whistleblower, and her inspiring true story of abuse, escape, and redemption. A portion of the profits will be devoted to starting a foundation for victims of NXIVM—to support their healing and recovery."
Out of Town Blog: Rishikesh Travel Guide: The Yoga Capital Of The World
" ... Visit the Beatles Ashram Rishikesh first came to the consciousness of the rest of the world when the Beatles came here during the winter of 1968. They stayed at the then Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Ashram to study yoga, meditation and search for spirituality. During their transcendental meditation sessions with the Maharishi, the band reached creative high writing astounding 48 songs, most of which were included on their double album "White Album".
Today, a riot of arresting mural art now plasters the peeled-off walls of the Ashram's ruins. These wonderful mural essays were created by street artists forming the 'Beatles Ashram Mural Project'—founded in 2012. Apart from the mural paintings, lyrical lines such as "with every mistake, we must surely be learning" from a George Harrison-penned song, can be read scrawled on random walls.
Entry fee: 600 Indian Rupees for foreigners"
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.
Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.
No comments:
Post a Comment